New Formats May Threaten Test Cricket

England's test captain, Andrew Strauss, fears cricket administrators are in danger of sowing the seeds of the sport's downfall if the five-day format of the game is neglected.

Strauss, enjoying a break from the game while England contest a one-day series in India, has led England to the top of the test rankings since being handed the captaincy in 2009, but is worried about the way the game is heading.

Doubts over the International Cricket Council's (ICC) proposed 2013 World Test Championship and the fact that the home series against South Africa next year has been slimmed down to three tests have done little to allay Strauss's worries.

"I have concerns about the state of test cricket," Strauss said in an interview in The Times newspaper on Tuesday.

"I am very much aware that if we are arrogant and assume that test cricket will always be there, we are sowing the seeds of our own downfall."